Puritanical - or Not
by imdoingthiswhy
Summary: The rest of Thanksgiving after the costumes. Pure, unadulterated, shameless holiday fluff. The entire new family at the table.


**Puritanical…or Not**

Pi was at the door about the same time Jim Beckett arrived, and Kate went with Castle to greet them. Both men were taken aback, being greeted by an authentic looking Pilgrim and an Indian. Simultaneously, Castle and Beckett heard from their two guests, "Should I have dressed up?" and an amused, "Katie? What are you two wearing?"

"We are the Rolphes – John and Pocahontas," Kate told them.

"Yes, and we bid thee welcome to the feast," Castle added from under the Pilgrim hat he had found waiting on his bed next to the stockings and the shoes with buckles…a slightly disgruntled but not unfriendly look on his face. He seemed to be gradually getting into spirit of Kate's payback.

"Nice hat, Mr. C.," Pi grinned as he went to put his cranberry offering on the table.

"He casts a pretty long shadow in that tall hat, doesn't he?" 'Pocahontas' answered as Martha and Alexis smirked.

"I think you look rather dashing, Richard," his mother offered.

"That's because you're my mother."

"I think you look rather dashing, too, Rick," Jim said with an amused smile.

"And that's because you're on her side," Castle answered, pointing toward Kate, who was having way too much fun with the costume thing.

"I don't know…you look pretty dashing to me, too, John," Kate assured him.

"And that's because…" Castle stopped for a beat and changed his tune. "Well, that isn't bad news, is it?" and he leaned to give her a quick peck on the lips. "But I can lose the hat now, right?"

"Yeah," she laughed. "Give it to me. I'll put it on your desk."

The hat out of his way, Castle motioned his guests to the table. With a small courtly bow that undoubtedly made his mother proud, he said, "Prithee join us, friends. The feast awaits."

Kate returned about the time of the invitation to the table and followed them.

"And the lovely Pocahontas will sit here," Castle said, pulling out the chair next to his for Kate. He was really smiling at that, seeming to have decided to enjoy the game.

When everyone was seated, Martha said primly, "John, you should carve the turkey forthwith. Your guests have a mighty hunger."

Castle grinned and set about his task. The Thanksgiving meal was peppered with laughter and Puritanical speech, and the interaction of the family the group was slowly building. Pi's 'cranberry whatever' turned out to be a hit with everyone, even Castle, and conversation during the meal was easy and pleasant. Jim seemed quietly surprised at Alexis' choice of Pi, but 'Mr. B.' warmed to him as the day went on.

When the meal was over, Castle looked around the table with his little smirk. I'm a Pilgrim today. Does that mean the men get to go sit in the living room and let the women clean up?"

Kate looked at Martha and Alexis. "He was a good sport about the Pilgrim thing…even though he did start it. What do you think?"

"Well…" Martha started.

"Maybe just this once," Alexis answered with a grin.

When he looked at Kate, playfully hopeful, she answered, "Okay, John. Looks like the men are off the hook for now."

"All right, men, run while we have the chance," Castle encouraged as he left his napkin next to his plate and headed for the living room couch; and Jim and Pi got up to follow him, everyone laughing as they left the table.

"This doesn't become a habit, does it?" Alexis asked. "Not a chance," Martha and Kate said in unison.

"Been bonding in my absence?" Alexis asked with a grin.

"Must be those Rodgers genes," Kate answered. "Where do we start?"

The women cleaned up while the men talked in the living room, Castle observing, "There are two other men in the house. I hardly know how to act. It's been Mother and Alexis and me for so long." Pausing and looking toward where the women were talking and laughing as they worked, he said, "I feel a little guilty about leaving them with everything."

"Should we get up and give them a hand?" Jim asked.

"I don't feel _that_ guilty," Castle whispered back, and the other two men laughed and carried on with their conversation.

After the kitchen was back in order and the leftovers were divided between the refrigerator and containers that Jim and Alexis and Pi could take home for another meal, the women retired to the living room with the men for a while before the guests decided it was time to go home.

Alexis and Pi left first, and as Jim stood at the door, he said, "Thanks for including me, Rick. It was a nice change from what Katie and I have been doing…or not doing for the last decade. And it took me by surprise, but John and Pocahontas were a great addition to the feast.

They all laughed. Castle reached to shake Jim's hand but ended up in a fatherly hug before the same fate befell Kate.

"'Night, Katie," her dad said as he hugged her tight.

"Goodnight, Jim. Come by any time," Martha said as she gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"Same to all of you. And it _was…_the happiest Thanksgiving I've had in a long time," he answered.

"Me, too," Kate agreed, sliding her arm around Castle's waist and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mother's right," Castle said as he draped an arm around Kate's shoulders, "you have a standing invitation…any time. If Kate is part of my family, you are, too."

"It looks like you already think she is."

"We do," Martha assured Jim.

"I couldn't be more committed to her if we were already married," Castle confirmed.

Jim smiled and nodded before he left. "I believe you," he answered and left Castle with a paternal pat on the upper arm.

"Well, I don't know about the two of you, but I'm exhausted. I'm going to take a shower and read for a while…if I can stay awake that long." She heard goodnights behind her as she went up the stairs.

Castle turned to take Kate fully in his arms and give her a solid kiss. "I've been wanting to do that all afternoon. If it had been just Mother, I probably would have…but your father…my daughter…"

"You don't think they know we're doing that…and more?" she asked mischievously.

"It's reminding them of the 'more' part, I'm avoiding, I guess. They don't need to be reminded, but they're gone now."

"Yeah, they are," she answered with the smile she saved for him…when more was a possibility. Then she kissed him in the same spirit as the smile, and he responded, adding his own intentions to the mix."

"Think we should take this to the bedroom before your mother decides she needs wine with her reading?"

"Good idea," he answered, putting his arm around her shoulders again and pointing them toward his office. Stopping in their room next to the bed, he removed her headband and threw it over to the dresser top. Then he took one braid in each hand, and yanked gently a couple of times. "I've been metaphorically pulling your pigtails for years, but it's the first time I've had the chance to do it for real," he explained with a silly grin. More seriously, he added, "I'm sorry I didn't make it clear I was kidding about the costumes."

"I'm not. It was fun. Thanks for being such a good sport."

"I hated the idea at first, but I knew I deserved it. It was kind of fun, though." He put his hands on her shoulders and asked, "Does it really need to become a tradition?"

"No. I think once was enough,but it was a good ice breaker for Dad and Pi. I think remembering it will be enough."

"Thank you," Castle sighed in relief.

"You'd make it a tradition if I wanted it?"

"If you reeeeeeeeeeeally wanted it…yeah. I want you happy."

"Well, relax. I'm already happy. Especially if we get back to what we came in here for."

"Hold that thought," Castle answered, then went to close the door, and came back. "Now, Pocahontas, where were we?"

Through their smiles, they picked up the kiss and it escalated from there until Kate leaned back slightly and tugged at his Pilgrim pants. "Ooo, Squire Rolphe, there are some very unpuritanical things going on in there."

"Oh, I don't know. They did have baby Pilgrims, didn't they?"

"Good point. Maybe they just thought they weren't supposed to enjoy making them?"

"That would be sad, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah."

"You gonna help me out of this puritanical Pilgrim suit? 'Cause I'm planning on both of us enjoying this."

That statement was followed by the sounds of costumes being relegated to the floor and the mostly quiet, unpuritanical sounds of two people enjoying being very much in love.


End file.
